É’s Cingaporean Birthday

What I Planned for É on His 38th

I came up with a day’s worth of birthday itinerary which I jazzed up in my head about one and a half years ago. It was meant to be for É’s 37th but we decided to travel Nepal at the time. Looking back now I understand how the change of plan happened for a reason, because today we live here; no need for flights or daunting bus rides. The only thing I tweaked was replacing dinner for two at Hai Di Lao with a surprise one with awesome friends we didn’t know then. Here’s how I took É through a suspenseful Sunday:

12 p.m.: Brunching with flowers at Pollen, Gardens By The Bay.

Whether you are a flora enthusiast like É or not, having lunch at an indoor garden is simply a beautiful, unique idea. Excellent service is thoughtful service and that said, I loved how they arranged tiny heaters around our table as it can get quite cold inside the Flower Dome. We wished the food was as good as Lola‘s, but we’d gladly give in for the botanic ambience. A good bottle of Portuguese wine set us off to a smooth, mellow start to our brunch and the rest of our dining experience was blissful history.

{Pssttt . . . the pair of new Onitsuka on É is my choice of gift for the birthday boy}

What I learned from choosing Pollen @ GBTB:

Buggy service is offered from the main entrance to the restaurant, which is thoughtful because it’s quite a distance.

Entrance into Flower Dome is FREE if you dine there.

There is a storage room at the restaurant for luggages where we left our cabin bag before checking-in the next location. (GBTB has lockers which they charge.)

Note in your reservation if you’re celebrating a special occasion and they might just prepare a lil’ surprise for you / reserve a beautiful spot. É got those ‘Happy Birthday’ chocolates!

2 p.m.: A romantic, leisurely stroll at Flower Dome.

If you don’t yet know, GBTB changes their theme in this dome from time-to-time, so rarely any visit is the same. This time around, it is hydrangeas.

3 p.m.: Luxuriating at Marina Bay Sands.

Upon the concierge confirming that it really was É’s birthday, we were upgraded from the most basic room to suites. I am not promising this will always be the case as it is subject to availability, but it is a good-to-know and worth a try. Thank you, MBS Hotel!

8 p.m.: Surprise dinner with our favorite gang in Singapore.

This is É’s favorite part of the surprise and I’m so glad there’s at least one part that is close to 100% unpredictable! Missing from this picture is Helio G. who was working, whom I can’t leave out because he made it even after a long night’s work. Everyone you see here are also Cinga‘s godparents / ‘catsitters’ when we were moving around a lot, the people who give more than we could give, and allow us to be part of their happy lives because of they open, generous hearts. We love you, Harvest Mansion gang!

Happy 38th, husband! May this year be filled with luck, love and lots of health.